ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
India is promoting scientific research to reduce input costs for farmers while providing beneficial environmental and climate outcomes as co-benefits
Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha said that India, while home to more than one-sixth of humanity, has contributed only about 4% of the global cumulative greenhouse gas emissions between 1850 and 2019, and its per capita emissions are about one-third of the world average. The total greenhouse gas  emissions of the country in 2016 were around 2838 million tonnes of CO2 out of which agriculture sector emissions were only 14%.
Apart from ensuring food security at national level, India continues to serve the rest of the world with its food exports. India’s agricultural emissions must be considered in the background of being globally home to the largest cattle population, the largest producer of milk, the largest rice exporter and tenth largest exporter of wheat. Despite its scale, Indian agriculture shows little or no incidence of large-scale industrial agriculture. In this light, India’s agriculture sector emissions must be considered significantly low.
It is also to be noted that agriculture emissions are survival emissions, emissions arising from productive activity for essential commodities, and not luxury emissions, the buildup of which is causing the damage to the world through global warming. Such emissions are attributable, in the main, to the profligate lifestyles and production and consumption patterns of the developed world. It may also be emphasized that if the entire world’s per capita annual emissions were to match India’s then there would be no climate crisis at all.
In the written reply it was stated that for developing countries, India included, agriculture is predominantly a site of adaptation, with mitigation co-benefits. In this regard, government is undertaking and promoting research regarding GHG emissions from the agriculture sector. Among the scientific and technological initiatives being focused on are neem coated urea, slow release/coated fertilizers, soil test-based fertilizer application, leaf colour chart-based N application, direct seeded rice, system of rice intensification, aerobic rice, sprinkler irrigation and drip fertigation. These initiatives of the Government are directed at encouraging the rational use of all inputs to promote savings in input costs for farmers, while providing beneficial environmental and climate outcomes as co-benefits.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
94 athletes included in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme of Ministry of YAS: Sh. KirenRijiju
Preparation for Olympic Games is an ongoing process. Participation in Olympics is through qualification and India sent its largest contingent ever for participation in Olympics in 2016.
In order to improve India’s performance at Olympics and Paralympics, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports started the Target Olympic Podium Scheme  in September 2014. This was revamped in April 2018 to have a technical support team for managing the TOPS athletes and providing holistic support. The scheme is fully functional and has been extending all requisite support to probable athletes identified for the Tokyo-2021,Paris-2024 and Los Angles-2028 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games including foreign training, international competition, equipment and coaching camp besides monthly stipend of Rs.50,000/- for each athlete.At present, 94 athletes are included in the TOPS.
High priority category of sports discipline has been identified to put focus on and incentivize those sports disciplines played in the Olympics in which India has won medals in the last conducted Asian Games as well as Commonwealth Games or in which India has good chance of winning medals in the upcoming Olympics of 2024  and 2028 . Presently, nine sports disciplines viz.,  Athletics,  Badminton  Hockey Shooting  Tennis  Weightlifting  Wrestling,  Archery and  Boxing have been categorised as ‘High Priority’.
Target Olympic Podium Scheme , which covers the junior and sub-junior athletes also, is a dynamic exercise, wherein review of performance is done periodically fixing targets and intermediate milestones for individual athletes; and the sportspersons who fail to achieve the targets despite providing additional support and adequate time are dropped from the scheme.
Further, on the basis on key performanceindicators brought out by the Sports Authority of India  incollaboration with the National Sports Federations, Coaches and other stakeholders, aperiodic performance review is conducted forall athletes under the Scheme.
This information was given by Union Minister of State  for Youth Affairs and Sports, Shri KirenRijiju in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
PM’s keynote address at the UN 'High-Level Dialogue on Desertification, Land degradation and Drought'
Excellency, President of the General Assembly,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Namaste
I thank the President of the General Assembly for organising this High-Level Dialogue.
Land is the fundamental building block for supporting all lives and livelihoods. And, all of us understand that the web of life functions as an inter-connected system. Sadly, land degradation affects over two-thirds of the world today. If left unchecked, it will erode the very foundations of our societies, economies, food security, health, safety and quality of life. Therefore, we have to reduce the tremendous pressure on land and its resources. Clearly, a lot of work lies ahead of us. But we can do it. We can do it together.
Mr. President,
In India, we have always given importance to land and considered the sacred Earth as our mother. India has taken the lead to highlight land degradation issues at international forums. The Delhi Declaration of 2019 called for better access and stewardship over land, and emphasised gender-sensitive transformative projects. In India, over the last 10 years, around 3 million hectares of forest cover has been added. This has enhanced the combined forest cover to almost one-fourth of the country's total area.
We are on track to achieve our national commitment of Land degradation neutrality. We are also working towards restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. This would contribute to India's commitment to achieve an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
We believe that restoration of land can start a virtuous cycle of good soil health, increased land productivity, food security and improved livelihoods. In many parts of India, we have taken up some novel approaches. To give just one example, the Banni region in Rann of Kutch in Gujarat suffers from highly degraded land and receives very little rainfall. In that region, land restoration is done by developing grasslands, which helps in achieving land degradation neutrality. It also supports pastoral activities and livelihood by promoting animal husbandry. In the same spirit, we need to devise effective strategies for land restoration while promoting indigenous techniques.
Mr. President,
Land degradation poses a special challenge to the developing world. In the spirit of South-South cooperation, India is assisting fellow developing countries to develop land restoration strategies. A Centre of Excellence is being set up in India to promote a scientific approach towards land degradation issues.
Mr. President,
It is mankind's collective responsibility to reverse the damage to land caused by human activity. It is our sacred duty to leave a healthy planet for our future generations. For their sake and ours, I extend my best wishes for productive deliberations at this High-Level Dialogue.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Para-shuttler Manasi Joshi pays homage to fallen Galwan Valley heroes at Delhi’s National War Memorial, says “will remember the Indian Armed Forces sacrifice every time I represent the country”
India’s ace para shuttler and 2019 World Para-Badminton champion Manasi Joshi recently visited Delhi’s National War Memorial during her short visit to the National Capital. Manasi, who recently became world number 1 in the BWF para-badminton rankings in the Women's Singles SL3 category, always wanted to visit the national monument since its inauguration in 2019 and pay homage to the martyrs of the country.
“Since 2019 I wanted to visit the National War Memorial and pay my respect to the people who have lost their lives protecting our country and paid the supreme sacrifice. Today I finally got the opportunity and was truly honoured to visit the place.” Manasi said.
During the visit, Manasi paid homage to the brave soldiers who lost their lives during 2020’s Galwan Valley violence, including Late Colonel Santosh Babu who was awarded India’s second-highest military honour, the Mahavir Chakra, for his bravery.
Manasi also took the round of the Veerata Chakra of the National War Memorial, which comprises of six bronze murals depicting famous battles fought by the Indian Army, Air Force, and Navy - Battle of Longewala, Battle of Gangasagar, Battle of Tithwal, Battle of Rezangla, Operation Meghdoot and Operation Trident.
The stories about the 6 fierce battles left Manasi emotional and she said that she will now carry them with her whenever she represents the country.
“I wish I knew more and had more information  as a kid. If I had all this information in my childhood itself, I think I would have developed more understanding and respect towards our armed forces. But it’s never too late.”
She then went on to add “We carry the tri-colour when we go out of the country, but none of us can do this . Next time when I am representing the country, I will keep all these soldiers scarifies with me at the back of my mind and will always remember this.”
Special Service and Features
Shri Sarbananda Sonowal announces investment of Rs. 50 crs in Maritime Start-ups by Cochin Shipyard
(Kochi: April 30, 2022
Union Minister for Ports, Shipping & Waterways Shri Sarbananda Sonowal today announced in Kochi that Cochin Shipyard Limited  has committed to invest an initial corpus of Rs. 50 crs in start-up companies engaged in the maritime sector. The Minister also unveiled the Start-up engagement framework of CSL while speaking at the event in connection with the inauguration of the Golden Jubilee Celebration of Cochin Shipyard Ltd held this afternoon.
The Minister said that the Govt. of India was keenly focused on the development of the Start-Up eco system in the country. With a view towards development of start-ups in the maritime domain, the Ministry of PSW is working on a Start-up Engagement Framework, which will be promulgated shortly, he added.
The start-up framework is envisaged to augment Government of India’s initiatives to develop an ecosystem in India to support Maritime Start-ups from technical, regulatory, financial and marketing point of view by bringing stakeholders together. The framework will provide a platform for young and talented entrepreneurs to develop products/services in the marine space with financial support from CSL.
The Minister felicitated CSL on its achievements over the last five decades including the construction of the country’s first Aircraft carrier and also its initiatives on new technology and green solutions.
Shri Shantanu Thakur, Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Shri V Muraleedharan, Minister for State for External Affairs & Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Sanjeev Ranjan, Secretary MoPSW, Mr Madhu S Nair, CMD, CSL, senior officials, current and past employees of CSL and other dignitaries graced the function.
Ministry of Women and Child Development
Proposals Appraised Under Nirbhaya Fund
The year-wise details of 35 projects/schemes worth Rs. 9176.65 crore appraised under the Framework for Nirbhaya Fund are at Annexure.
The year-wise allocation in the Nirbhaya Fund since its inception is as under:
|
|
Financial Year
|
|
2013-14
|
|
2014-15
|
|
2015-16
|
|
2016-17
|
|
2017-18
|
|
2018-19
|
|
2019-20
|
|
2020-21
|
|
2021-22
|
|
2022-23
|
|
Allocation

|
|
1000.00
|
|
1000.00
|
|
-
|
|
707.62
|
|
550.00
|
|
550.00
|
|
550.00
|
|
1355.23
|
|
500.00
|
|
500.00
Out of Rs.6712.85 crore allocated upto the financial year 2022-23, an amount of Rs.4480.30 crore has been disbursed/released by the concerned Ministries/ Departments for implementation of various projects/ schemes.
The projects/ schemes under Nirbhaya Fund are demand driven. The projects/ schemes appraised by Empowered Committee  under Framework for Nirbhaya Fund are having staggered implementation schedule. Further, some of the appraised projects are directly implemented by Central Ministries/Departments. However, majority of the projects are implemented through State Governments/ Union Territory Administrations in which Central Government releases the funds to States/ UTs as per prescribed fund sharing pattern of respective projects/schemes and implementation on ground is done by the States/UTs as per the approved implementation period.
Further, there are schemes, which require recurring expenditure for providing services, in respect of which, further funds are released upon receipt of Utilisation Certificates  and Statement of Expenditure  from the Implementing Agency/authority. The UCs are required to be submitted within twelve months of the closure of financial year, in which grant was released. Hence, it is possible that more funds have been actually utilised, but Utilisation Certificates  and Statement of Expenditure , as required, as per provisions of General Financial Rules  have not been submitted by the concerned States/Implementing Agencies . The States/ IAs are regularly followed up to submit UCs and SoEs. Various other factors such as time taken in getting required approvals from competent authorities, procedure to be followed for award of contract, disruptions due to unforeseen reasons such as the one created by the Covid 19 etc., also affect implementation of schemes/ projects. Under Nirbhaya Fund, till date, approximately 68% of the funds released have been reported to be utilized.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Special Service and Features
Appropriation Accounts of the Government of Tamil Nadu for the Year 2019-20
Under the comptroller and auditor General’s  Act 1971. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India prepares the Finance Accounts of the Government of Tamil Nadu showing that year’s receipts and Disbursements for the state annually. Along with this, the comptroller and Auditor General of India also compiles the Appropriation accounts for the state government showing the excess or saving under each grant or appropriation as passed by the Legislature. Both these accounts duly signed by comptroller and Auditor General of India for the year 2019-20 were forwarded on 09.09.2021 to the state government for being laid before the state Legislature.
Ministry of Earth Sciences
IMD reviews preparedness, take stock of requirements, plan for the cyclone season October-December, 2020 at a Pre-cyclone exercise meeting
New initiatives by IMD shared with stake holders
“Significant improvement by IMD in tracking, landfall, intensity and adverse weather including heavy rainfall, strong wind and storm surge forecast”: Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, DGM, IMD
India Meteorological Department  organized the on-line pre-cyclone exercise meeting on 6th October under the chairmanship of Dr.Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology , IMD to review the preparedness, take stock of requirements, plan for the cyclone season October-December, 2020 and share new initiatives by IMD with stake holders. The meeting was participated by experts from IMD, National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting , Indian Air Force , Indian Navy , Central Water Commission , India Institute of Technology  Delhi, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services , National Disaster Management Agency , National Disaster Response Force , Deptt. of Fisheries, Punctuality Cell, Indian Railways and Central Water Commission .
DGM, IMD in his opening address touched upon various issues from forecasting to last mile connectivity and discussed the areas that require improvement. He informed the participants that IMD has achieved significant improvement in track, landfall, intensity and adverse weather including heavy rainfall, strong wind and storm surge forecast. He informed that during ensuing cyclone season IMD will start interactive display system for observed and forecast cyclone track and intensity on GIS platform.
He also informed the stake holders about various mobile apps launched by IMD including Damini for lightning forecast, Mausam & Umang for weather forecast including cyclone warning and Meghdoot for agrometeorological advisories. Participants were also informed about free registration facility available on Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre  website www.rsmcnewdelhi.imd.gov.in to receive cyclone alerts.
Dr. Mohapatra stressed upon the need to learn lessons from past and fix the recurring mistakes. He also insisted upon developing a foolproof triggering and response mechanism with active participation from all stake holders to further minimize loss of lives and properties.
Mrs Sunitha Devi, Head, Cyclone Warning Division, IMD made a presentation on the status, future plans and efforts made during recent past including forecast performance of RSMC during recent years.
The stake holders participating in the meeting appreciated IMD for effective cyclone warning system, which has helped in management of cyclones in recent years. Deliberations and discussions with active participation from all the stake holders were held during the meeting and there were a number of good suggestions from the stakeholders.
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
Shri Mansukh Mandaviya to flag off vessel with Bhutan cargo to Bangladesh
via Indian Inland Waterways tomorrow
Movement first of its kind – connects landlocked Bhutan to Bangladesh
Taking ahead the Prime Minister’s vision of promoting Inland Waterways, Minister of State for Shipping  and Chemical & Fertilizers, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya will flag off an inland waterways vessel containing cargo from Bhutan to Bangladesh via River Brahmaputra  and the Indo Bangla Protocol Route tomorrow. This is a first of its kind movement where an Indian inland waterways is being used for connecting two countries – landlocked Bhutan and Bangladesh.
1000 Metric Ton of crushed stone aggregates will sail on Inland Waterways Authority of India’s  vessel MV AAI from Dhubri port in Assam to Narayanganj in Bangladesh through India’s NW2 and Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route.
The stone aggregates were transported by trucks from Phuentsholing in Bhutan which is 160 KMs from IWAI’s Dhubri jetty in Asaam.
Bhutan has been exporting significant quantity of stone aggregates through the land route for different construction projects in Bangladesh.
The exports through Inland Waterways mode will serve as an alternate mode of transportation which is cheaper and more environment friendly. It also offers larger shipment size as compared to road, avoiding congestion on land routes. While this consignment is being transported in one single barge through Inland Waterways, by road it would have taken 50 trucks of 20 Metric Ton capacity to carry the same volume of cargo.
This movement is expected to inspire confidence among the Bhutanese exporters to increasingly shift to waterways mode and increase the trade of stone aggregates and other cargo between Bhutan and Bangladesh through India’s inland waterways. Bhutanese exporters and importers are likely to use this route frequently now.
Cabinet
Cabinet approves extension of the term and coverage of the Fifteenth Finance Commission and submission of two reports by the Finance Commission
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today approved the Fifteenth Finance Commission to submit first report for the first fiscal year viz. 2020-21 and to extend the tenure of XV-FC to provide for the presentation of the final report covering FYs 2021-22 to 2025-26 by 30th October, 2020.
The extension of the term will enable the Commission to examine various comparable estimates for financial projections in view of reforms and the new realities to finalise its recommendations for the period 2020-2026.
The Commission, on account of the restrictions imposed by the Model Code of Conduct, completed its visit to States only recently. This has had a bearing on the detailed assessments of States requirements.
The Terms of Reference for the commission are wide-ranging in nature. Comprehensively examining their implications and aligning them to the requirements of the States and the Central Government will require additional time.
The proposed increase in coverage of the period for which the Commission’s recommendations are applicable, will help medium-term resource planning for the State Governments and the Central Government. Making a five year coverage available for the Commission beyond 1st April 2021, will help both State and Central Governments design schemes with medium to long term financial perspective and provide adequate time for mid-course evaluation and correction. It is anticipated that the impact of the economic reforms initiated in the current FY would be manifested in the data by the end of First Quarter 2020-21.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr. Bharti Pravin Pawar reviews Omicron and COVID-19 situation in Maharashtra
Everyone should be vigilant, cautions Minister Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar
Mumbai: 4 January,2022
Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar reviewed the growing number of COVID-19 cases, especially of the Omicron variant, in Mumbai and the state of Maharashtra during a meeting held today with concerned officials of the Maharashtra government.
The Union Minister said that he union government has already issued guidelines on what should be done if the number of patients increases and what decisions should be taken by the concerned states including on steps to be taken regarding availability of ICUs and hospital beds.
The Minister noted that the number of COVID-19 patients in the state is increasing and omicron cases are also rising. The situation is alarming and the state should take necessary and timely actions to prevent further spread of the virus, she said.
The Minister informed that with the number of patients in Maharashtra and Kerala increasing rapidly, the Union Health Secretary is in constant touch with the Health Secretaries of all the states and is keeping a close watch on the changing situation. The Centre has already given instructions to the respective states regarding increasing the number of tests and has also provided funds to the states for the purchase of testing kits. The Minister further informed that, the union government has already provided all other required assistance and now the state should utilize it wisely and all other measures should be implemented properly.
The Minister expressed concern that the implementation of containment measures should be speeded up. "It is a matter of concern that the number of patients in Mumbai is on the rise; everyone should be vigilant and should follow the guidelines, remembering that it is a fight against the virus."
DJM/JPS/RA/PM
Follow us on social media: @PIBMumbai /PIBMumbai /pibmumbai pibmumbai[at]gmail[dot]com
(Visitor Counter : 258